Bernie Sanders

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield one-half of my time to the gentlewoman from Idaho [Mrs. Chenoweth], the coauthor of this amendment, and I ask unanimous consent that she be permitted to control that time.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Oberstar]. (Mr. OBERSTAR asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey].

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, I would remind my friend that Chevron has stated that it could cut operating costs by a minimum of $30 to $40 million and extend its producing life, which would ultimately boost revenues. Most importantly, Mr. Chairman, what we are talking about is that in this great country, the United States of America, there are millions of people who face cold in the wintertime. This is not a question of putting storm windows on; this is a question of maintaining a shred of dignity for low-income senior citizens who just do not have enough money to keep their homes warm and who are living in houses where all of the warmth is running out of deteriorating roofs and walls. What kind of society are we when we cannot take care of and keep warm the weakest and most vulnerable amongst us? We are talking about $11 million, that is all we are talking about, to keep people warm in America, to keep people from dying in Chicago when the weather there goes above 100 degrees. I do not think that is asking too much.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words, and in support of the amendment. Mr. Chairman, it is a national disgrace that large numbers of people in this country, including many elderly people, go cold in the wintertime. That is not what this country is supposed to be about. It is especially stupid that we have a situation where people are living in extremely energy inefficient homes. They lack storm windows, they have cracks in their walls, and they have inadequate heating systems so that the little amount of money that they have that goes into heat ends up being used very inefficiently. The weatherization program is an intelligent, cost-effective program. It saves money and it helps a lot of people. I commend the authors of the amendment.

Mr. SANDERS. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. SANDERS. I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I would like to do two things. First, I would like to enter a colloquy with the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Regula], and then I am going to offer an amendment. Mr. Chairman, I would like to enter into a colloquy with Mr. Regula regarding an issue that is very important to the State of Vermont and others interested in conservation and sustainable agriculture. Unfortunately, this bill does not provide funding for the Marsh-Billing National Historic Park that is located in Woodstock, VT. The planned opening for this park is 1998, and the administration's budget included $340,000 in startup funding. My understanding is that the gentleman would support funding for this historic park should the Senate include funds specifically for this purpose.

Mr. SANDERS. I yield to the gentleman from Washington.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment and I ask unanimous consent it be considered out of order.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from California [Mr. Farr].

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. If the gentleman will yield, Mr. Chairman, that is correct.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Smith] for his strong efforts and willingness to work with us on this very important amendment, and also point out that the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Minge], the gentleman from Oregon [Mr. DeFazio] and the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Neumann] are also cosponsors and working with us on this effort. Mr. Chairman, let me begin by thanking the chairman, Mr. Young, and the ranking member, Mr. Murtha, and all the Members of the House for the support that they gave me last year for an amendment which I successfully offered, which stopped the disgrace of the Pentagon providing a $32-million bonus for the CEO's and board members of Martin-Marietta for their merger, and that is a merger which ended up laying off at least 19,000 American workers. Well, if my colleagues think the $32 million was a waste of taxpayers' dollars, then they better listen up, because what the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Smith] and I are talking about today amounts to billions of dollars. Yes, the taxpayers are providing payoffs for layoffs. We are actually giving multibillion-dollar corporations huge amounts of money in order to merge their companies, stifle competition, and lay off American workers. This is an absurd policy, it is a disgraceful policy, it is the worst kind of corporate welfare, and it is a policy that we should end today. Mr. Chairman, the Members who have come together to sponsor the Smith-Sanders amendment have different philosophical points of view, but we are in agreement that it is absurd that the U.S. Government is providing billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to huge profitable corporations so that they can merge and then lay off tens of thousands of American workers. That makes no sense to anyone. Mr. Chairman, this amendment has widespread support. It is supported by the Taxpayers for Common Sense, the CATO Institute, the Project on Government Oversight, and also supported by Lawrence J. Korb, the former Under Secretary of Defense under President Reagan. Mr. Chairman, there are a number of reasons why we should support this amendment. First, we have a $5-trillion national debt. We should not be providing billions of dollars in subsidies to large corporations to lay off American workers. Second of all, we have received almost no documentation from these companies as to what they are doing. What they are saying basically is, ``Don't worry, give us the money, trust us, we're going to save the government money.'' At the very least, we must have a clear outline of the net savings, and we want to know what savings will be effectuated. Mr. Chairman, if we can believe this, the Pentagon has never submitted any of the annual reports required by law on this program, and the first report was scheduled to be due in November 1995. It has never been filed. Mr. Chairman, in August 1995 the GAO began their own investigation in spite of the inaction of the Pentagon. The GAO's first and only report on the two companies that applied for and received these payments stated that, and I quote, the contractor's proposed savings were based entirely on work force reductions, end quote. The GAO also found that in exchange for free taxpayer cash up front, the same companies--FMC Corp. and Harsco Corp. BMY--projected out-year savings fell 85 percent short of what they originally presented to DOD. Further, the GAO reported that only one hearing has ever been held on a policy the GAO has said could cost, quote, several billions of dollars. The GAO also reported that 32 contractors have already lined up and put in requests to receive merger subsidies. One hearing. Billions of dollars. Third, Mr. Chairman, we can agree about the wisdom or lack of wisdom of industrial policy, but I think everybody here understands that it makes no sense for the government to get involved in the private sector so that we can lose American jobs. That is insane. I would support industrial policy if it created decent-paying jobs. Some in this body would not support any industrial policy. The thing they must ask themselves is why is the government selecting certain very large corporations and saying to them, quote, the taxpayers are going to help your company engender certain efficiencies, end quote. Essentially what the Pentagon is doing is saying to this company, ``We're going to help you, we're not going to help the other company.'' They are encouraging mergers. I think there is a lot to be discussed in terms of this whole issue. Last, Mr. Chairman, it seems to me that at a time when real wages in this country for working people are in decline, at a time when people are scared to death about whether or not they are going to have their decent paying jobs, they do not want to see their tax dollars going to large multibillion-dollar corporations so that these companies can then merge and lay off American workers.

Mr. SANDERS. In fact, Mr. Chairman, we should be standing in opposition to that policy. Our tax dollars should not be going to that policy. Imagine the worker from Lockheed-Martin who has been laid off because of the merger saying, ``My tax dollars went to laying me off and to hurt my family.'' That makes no sense.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of my colleagues I would like to have printed in the Record this statement by Ajah Leas, Eli Stokes, Kyja Page, Ken Bramlett, B.J. King, high school students are Peoples Academy in Vermont, who were speaking at my recent town meeting on issues facing young people. Our topic is: changing the education system. We don't have any great solutions, or anything, but we just want to increase the awareness of the fact that there's too much emphasis put on getting good grades, and having a good score. And the desire to learn is gone; or if it's not gone, it's not there very much, or whatever. The result of this is that students just go through school just playing the motions, getting good grades, having tests, memorizing and they're not necessarily learning anything; or discovering how they are self-learners, like what is the best way for them to learn, which they can carry with them throughout life. Another thing that we think is that teachers seem bored. They're teaching the same thing again and again and again, and they need to teach something different, to put themselves into it, because it becomes monotonous; it makes learning more of a chore. Along the same lines, we think that perhaps there could be more courses--there's a lot of courses out there that are trying to help teachers learn how to become better educators; but many times the teachers themselves don't have the desire to become better educated. If those teachers could, instead of going to classes and things like that and learning how, we could find the teachers that are considered good teachers, that actually want to help someone. I dare say, that the majority of people that become teachers don't necessarily become a teacher and say, ``Well, I want to go out there and help better the education of our youth, and become better people. They say, ``This'll be a good paycheck for me. And that's another thing that is a real problem with the way the system is set up right now: that money and getting a good paycheck is how things are judged by, and if you want to become a doctor, or whatever, it's not because you want to help cure disease, it's because you want a BMW. And, if these things are taught in the school, then that's obviously how it's going to be presented, but if we could . . . help people understand what they would enjoy doing, and less emphasis on money. Perhaps trying to help people understand that, ``Well, hey, money's not the only thing out there, you know, you've got to go to job 40 hrs./week, making $50,000/yr., and hate my job, that's not something that's going to make your life happy. So, if we could change things, and help . . . people understand that you have to want to learn; you need to understand what you need to go out and learn about yourself. And this is going to help in the school system also, because if someone's enjoying what they're learning, they're going to actually go out and do it themselves; they're going to be interested. I dare say that some people, if not most people are here today because it's for a class; they have to be here for a class, not because they're interested in the political system, but because it's a break. And if that's going to the way things are, then nobody's going to be happy in their life; and that's a bigger issue than simply educating. (Applause). We also feel that you shouldn't have as many required courses; you have a four-year English requirement to graduate, and had my 4th year of English, and just sat through my English classes--I couldn't wait until it was over, I didn't learn much of anything, I just got by. I think that there should be more elective classes that you can take, that you're interested in, so that you have more interest to learn, I think that would be better for the students. Along the same lines also, that it is a major problem how general the courses are. The general courses are made to expose us to a lot of things, so that we can try to find out what we enjoy. But instead, it actually decreases that, because the system that's presented is looked at as something that's not enjoyable. So a kid--maybe he does enjoy reading, but perhaps the way it's presented isn't for him. So, he may go away thinking, ``I'm no good at English, I can't get it right.'' But that's not necessarily the case. It may be that the system that the English is being presented [in] the problem. So you need to look at that, it's more than just looking at, ``Well, he's just a bad student.''

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of my colleagues I would like to have printed in the Record this statement by Jackie Frazier, Kate Greanon, Kay Gerson, Drew McNaughton, Kate McQuillen, Jennifer Arner, Lucas D'Amico, and Charley Hart, high school students from Vermont, who were speaking at my recent town meeting on issues facing young people. For the record, my name is Jackie Frazier, this is Kay Gerson, Kate McQuillen, and Drew McNaughton. Our discussion is actually, ``Overcrowding, or Budget [Problems] and Education.'' (Alternating speakers): We've been asked to directly discuss problems that arise within our school, and our students participating in school for seven years--being in a high school--and the problem that most prominently arises for us was the overcrowding problem in our school. What all of you may not know, is that we have 5 districts that come to our school, and we also have people that are paying tuition to come here. As most schools are having a problem with budget now, unless they live--earlier, someone was discussing how in . . . a resort town, they have more money to put into a school system. We have 5 towns, and this school was actually built at one time to support around 750 students; at this point in time, we have close to 910 people, which is not that much over, but each year we are increasing. Two years ago, we had a class of about 80 students, my class is about 130, the upcoming class of 7th grade next year will have around 170; I think it's a substantial increase each year. If you were to look at a town in your report, you'll see that each year we are increasing drastically in the number of students, but we don't have the budget to increase either space or more teachers. Sometimes we have to actually hold classes in this auditorium, over on the side here, and in the small media room upstairs, which is normally held for just movies. Each year as the budget stays the same, and the capacity stays the same, the students go up; and what we'd like to discuss, and we have a movie to show you, is that each year when the amount of students do go up, the actual grade of the school goes down in standard: in the way we survive, in the air we breathe, and in the rooms that populate. Sometimes the student ratio is 30 students to one teacher, when ideally it's 20:1. So, each time that we do this, we want to show you how it looks, in reality. Can everyone hear me? (narrating as video is shown): Due to the reduced janitorial staff over the past few years, and increased student population we see an overall depreciation of the physical condition of the school. There is no classroom space available; this American History class uses a corner of the auditorium as a makeshift classroom for one period each day. One of our stairwells . . . This was . . . one of the Junior High classrooms, and . . . you can see, there are many classrooms in the school which have a severe overcrowding problem. A high school classroom, with a ratio of about 30:1. All right, so that was a video to show visually what's the matter with it. Now, I want to talk about what the funds are directed towards, instead of building maintenance. By 1997, the future budget is planning on increasing itself by $617,000, and $409,940 of which is going to Special Ed. programs. I think if Special Ed. is increasing itself by 85%, and while all of this is going on, U-32 High School is going rapidly down. We already mentioned the American History class, and how it's held over there; but there's also a Spanish class upstairs that has 30 students in it, and the rooms about as big as about a third of this stage. We're all cramped together in it--it decreases individualized . . . one-on-one help with a teacher, so they fall behind, and they can't catch up. The ventilation problem in the school, you've probably already noticed; so when one student gets sick, the whole student body gets sick. So I think on a national scale, U-32 is the representation of the problem, in that . . . we're supposed to be a world power, and I don't think our schools should be run this way. It's a bad way to represent our country.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of my colleagues I would like to have printed in the Record this statement by several high school students at Peoples Academy in Vermont, who were speaking at my recent town meeting on issues facing young people. Our topic is: changing the education system. We don't have any great solutions, or anything, but we just want to increase the awareness of the fact that there's too much emphasis put on getting good grades, and having a good score. And the desire to learn is gone; or if it's not gone, it's not there very much, or whatever. The result of this is that students just go through school just . . . playing the motions, getting good grades, having tests, memorizing and they're not necessarily learning anything; or discovering . . . how they are self-learners, like what is the best way for them to learn, which they can carry with them throughout life. Another thing that we think is that teachers seem bored. They're teaching the same thing again and again and again, and . . . becomes monotonous; it makes learning more of a chore. . . . Along the same lines, we think that perhaps there could be more courses--there's a lot of courses out there that are trying to help teachers learn how to become better educators; but many times the teachers themselves don't have the desire to become better educated. If those teachers could, instead of going to classes and things like that and learning how, we could find the teachers that are considered good teachers, that actually want to help someone . . . I dare say, that the majority of people that become teachers don't necessarily become a teacher and say, ``Well, I want to go out there and help better the education of our youth, and . . . become better people. They say, ``This'll be a good paycheck for me. And that's another thing that is a real problem with the way the system is set up right now: that money and getting a good paycheck is how things are judged by, and if you want to become a doctor, or whatever, it's not because you want to help cure disease, it's because you want a BMW. And, if these things are taught in the school, then that's obviously how it's going to be presented, but if we could . . . help people understand what they would enjoy doing, and less emphasis on money. Perhaps trying to help people understand that, ``Well, hey, money's not the only thing out there, you know, you've got to go to a job 40 hrs./week, making $50,000/yr., and hate my job, that's not something that's going to make your life happy. So, if we could change things, and help . . . people understand that you have to want to learn; you need to understand what you need to go out and learn about yourself. And this is going to help in the school system also, because if someone's enjoying what they're learning, they're going to actually go out and do it themselves; they're going to be interested. I dare say that some people, if not most people are here today because it's for a class; they have to be here for a class, not because they're interested in the political system, but because it's a break. And if that's going to be the way things are, then nobody's going to be happy in their life; and that's a bigger issue than simply educating. (APPLAUSE) We also feel that . . . you shouldn't have as many required courses; you have a four-year English requirement to graduate, and had my 4th year of English, and just sat through my English classes--I couldn't wait until it was over, I didn't learn much of anything, I just got by. I think that there should be more elective classes that you can take, that you're interested in, so that you have more interest to learn, I think that would be better for the students. Along the same lines also, that it is a major problem how general the courses are . . . The general courses are made to expose us to a lot of things, so that we can try to find out what we enjoy. But instead, it actually decreases that, because the system that's presented is looked at as something that's not enjoyable. So a kid--maybe does enjoy reading, but perhaps the way it's presented isn't for him. So, he may go away thinking, ``I'm no good at English, I can't get it right.'' But that's not necessarily the case. It may be that the system that the English is being presented [in] is the problem. So you need to look at that, it's more than just looking at, ``Well, he's just a bad student.''

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of my colleagues I would like to have printed in the Record this statement by several high school students at Champlain Valley Union High School in Vermont, who were speaking at my recent town meeting on issues facing young people. Through our high school years, we have discovered the power and voice that we as students have in our school; and we have realized that this power of student voice is an incredibly valuable and meaningful learning experience. It's important to recognize that education reform, especially when it concerns the students that say their education . . . can be very slow. And we hope that some of the ideas that we present today will be a springboard for further action on the part of both students in the audience as well as for Vermont. It's our hope that . . . we be more of a voice, both in schools and on a national level. And, for that reason, our presentation is both for Congressman Sanders and for the teachers and the students in the audience. We believe that student voice is fundamental to provide the necessary quality of education to our nation's youth. Student voice empowers our students, instilling confidence and providing opportunities for participation in the democratic process. Student voice gives students control over their own education, getting them interested and excited about it, and making it more meaningful. Student voice improves the tone and level of respect among students, teachers and administration and other members of the school community, building a stronger community. Incorporating student voice into the educational experience is a tool for developing contributing members of a democratic society. We attended a national conference last November, where we came together with students and teachers from across the country re: policy changes for student voice. And we came up with a general policy at that conference. This first handout that we've given Congressman Sanders (and if anyone else we would like to copy, we'll have them available afterwards) is kind of our own version of general policy that we created. It's something you can bring back to your own schools, and share with other people. The following is the policy: School government: schools should incorporate a democratic decision-making process where all students can be recognized; all people in the school community should have equal opportunity to be heard; there should be a commitment to building this process by making it accessible, and by providing students and staff with the time necessary to plan and implement the school's plan of action. For curriculum, students need to have a voice in what and how they learn; open dialogue should exist between teachers and students, about teacher and student evaluation. For school tone and culture: a school should have an atmosphere that reflects its values of student empowerment; this includes allowing students to help shape the atmosphere of the school; the climate of the school should be one of open communication between all its members; students and faculty should feel equally comfortable in discussing concerns and suggestions. The first step towards creating a school culture that allows for Student Voice lies within each individual, and . . . we want to stress that each person is responsible for speaking out, and listening, and encouraging the voice of others. The school atmosphere should reflect the democratic ideals of our society. In an ideal world, as well as a democracy, every person has a voice, and so each person's voice should be listened to and respected. And the most important thing is ``how'' and ``what can you do;'' and that's the second handout that we have available if you want it. (signal) We're just going to go through reading this is all. Here are some suggestions: Create more funding for education; let's think about the future; if students are empowered today, we will be prepared tomorrow to contribute to society in an active and productive way. But this cannot be accomplished on a shoestring budget. . . . What is more important than education, what is more important than our future? Encourage students to teach each other; everyone is good at something; finding strengths build upon them by creating opportunities for students to teach their peers. Through this teaching process, students will gain confidence in leadership skills. Invite students to serve on national committees and panels concerning education skills. Create positions for students to advise the Secretary of Education: a student representative in Washington. And the final suggestion today: create charters for student rights within your local schools, and send these charters to other schools, and encourage them to create their own charters. Let's begin a grassroots Student Voice Movement. (APPLAUSE) Congressman Sanders: I would strongly encourage all of the schools here to get copies of these very excellent documents. The second I'd like to ask you: to what degree are these principles in existence now at CVU--are they in existence? Answer. I think we're here because we have gotten these principles from our school and from our education; and that's not to say that every student at CVU has gotten the same things that we have. I think that our school does an excellent job of providing opportunities for students, but it doesn't do quite as well in making . . . sure that all students realize and recognize that opportunity. Congressman Sanders: Let me ask you the last question: in the last election nationally, only 38% of the American people came out to vote. What do you see as the relationship between student democracy and democracy within our country as a whole? Answer. It's building on the future; if we start in schools. The problem with our democracy today is that as students grow up in our educational system, they don't learn that much about it. Then once they get out there into the real world they haven't had very much practice with it, and don't know what to do. One of the best ways to remedy that problem is to start dealing with democracy in the schools.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of my colleagues I would like to have printed in the Record this statement by Andrea Jaquith, a high school student from Brattleboro, VT, who was speaking at my recent town meeting on issues facing young people. The phenomenon of gangs and gang violence is widespread throughout this country, and is spreading rapidly and fast becoming a societal problem of great magnitude. Some people blame the gang problems on the poverty that this country is struggling with. With the possible exception of some states in the Northeast, every state now has some sort of gang problem. In 1961, there were about 23 cities in the U.S. with known street gangs. Today, there are at least 187 different cities with known street gangs. In 1992, there were an estimated 4,881 gangs in the U.S. L.A. County in California is the gang capital of the nation. In 1991, there were 150,000 persons in 1,000 gangs in L.A. County. John Pole of Emerge Magazine said, ``If you could eliminate the narcotics problem tomorrow, you would still have a significant gang problem. If the next day you eliminated the gang problem, you'd still have a significant crack problem.'' Guns, ``gas traps'' or ``toolies''--whatever you choose to call them--firearms are a major part of gangs and violence, in general, today with American youths. Gunshot wounds are the leading cause of death for all teenage boys in America. Guns kill 14 kids in America every day. It is estimated that one out of 25 African-American male children now in kindergarten will be murdered with a gun by the age of 18. In a recent survey conducted, it was found that one in five H.S. students carry a weapon with them. The vast majority of juveniles get guns from their own homes, and the majority of accidental shootings occur in homes where kids can easily get guns. In a 1989 poll, nearly three out of five Americans own a gun. So many youths have firearms because of the perceived absence of any other kind of power necessary to attain status and wealth. 5,000 kids are killed by a gun every year in the U.S. There's a trend that appears to be a weak economy and scarcity of legitimate jobs for these young minority men-- that's why they tend to join gangs. Basic needs that kids get by joining gangs are: structure, nurturing, economic opportunity and a sense of belonging. Most kids join gangs because that's what there is to join where they live--there aren't sports teams that they can join, and there aren't jobs that they can get because of the weak economy--so that's why they turn to gangs. There are two well-known gangs in Western U.S.; they're known as the ``Crips'' and the ``Bloods;'' the Crips and the Bloods are rivals in the Western U.S.--the Crips wear blue and the Bloods wear red. There is a lot hatred between these two gangs; a Blood will not ask for a cigarette because the word begins with a c,' as in Crips. Instead, they ask for a figarette.'' Parents are very fearful for their children's lives when they go out to play or go to school; if they are caught wearing the wrong colors, they could be misinterpreted for belonging to a gang, and get hurt or killed. Parents dress their children carefully in brown, yellow or other neutral colors, and they avoid buying British Nike's brand sneakers, because the initials have come to mean ``bloodkiller,'' a sign of disrespect in a Blood neighborhood. Nearly 50% of the Black male population age 21 through 24 is involved in some sort of gang activity. More than 200,000 people live in South Central L.A., and most have turned their homes into what look like jails: heavy metal- grid bars across the windows and doors, their yards turned into military compounds with wrought-iron fences, etc. They do this to protect their property, their family and themselves from gangs involvement. Solutions to ending the gang problems of the U.S. are difficult to come up with. Trying to attract the interest of teenagers is also hard to do. Some suggestions have been: recreational activities for the students to participate in after school so they can stay off the streets. A way to bring teenagers into the picture of helping out is by way of teacher training. They need training to recognize gang members (signal), and discourage their activities. Other than recreational activities, there should be also an alternative for those nonathletic students. There should be tighter security--security officers at schools to deal with troublesome students; increased discipline would mean stricter enforcement of existing disciplinary rules. Metal detectors are also a way of weeding out weapons, and in some schools there's a truancy court that deals with people with high absenteeism. There is also . . . alternative schools with programs for disciplinary problem children. Former gang members participate in community awareness campaigns. And one last solution would be to control the unemployment by making . . . more jobs available for students and young people. Congressman Sanders: Andrea, thank you very much; that was excellent. I'd like to ask you a very brief question, one question: in your judgment, has the government or other interests done a good job of controlling or eliminating youth gangs in America? Answer. I don't think so, because there's a lot of unemployment out there, and that's why these teens are turning to gangs, because they don't have anything to do. So I think that the government should create more jobs for the students to get involved with. Congressman Sanders: Are you familiar with the Summer Youth Employment Program? Answer. A little bit. Congressman Sanders: The Summer Youth Employment Program is a Federal program which allows low- and middle-income students to have summer jobs. It's a very important program, in districts such as you were speaking about in Los Angeles, where unemployment is very high. One of the things that I should tell you, a little bit sadly, is we were fighting this fight, but we think that the leadership in Congress is going to eliminate the funding for the Summer Youth Employment Program, which I think addresses some of the concerns that you've raised.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of my colleagues I would like to have printed in the Record this statement by Tedra Guyett and Harmony Hariman, high school students from Washington County, VT, who were speaking at my recent town meeting on issues facing young people. My name is Harmony Hariman, and I'm a Student Area Coordinator for Amnesty International, and I'm an intern with the Vermont Refugee Assistance. My name is Tedra Guyette; I'm also a Student Area Coordinator for Vermont, and I'm also an intern with Vermont Refugee Assistance. The first thing we really want to talk about is a Bill that was passed on March 21st in the House, HR 2202. That's really upsetting to me, because it effectively banned people who have genuine political claims . . . from ever entering the U.S., or ever staying, because . . . When a person flees their country with the fear of safety, and they come here, do you think they're going to come off the plane and say, ``Whoops, we better get a lawyer and file some papers?'' No, they're worried about their safety. And often spend months trying to save their families, and just getting settled, which pretty much bans them from ever filing. The Bill HR 2202 would ensure that any immigrant or refugee who is caught entering or crossing the border illegally will be permanently barred from ever legally entering the country. Yet there are instances where a refugee has no other option. Immigrants lack knowledge about specific opportunities of become a citizen, and often do not understand the process itself, or how to negotiate the I.N.S. bureaucracy. There is a section of the bill that says that immigrants who are here illegally, or undocumented immigrants, are unable to receive health care through out public system. And there's a myth that the reason that the health care system is in the ground is because it's the immigrants, it's the poor people that are just dragging it down. But really, immigrants use health care less than the general public. A 1992 U.S. Dept. of Justice report found that immigrants use federally funded services less than the general population, and there have been several studies that show that it's not immigrants that are pulling us down, it's everyone else's stupidity and ignorance about the immigrants. Most hospital care costs for undocumented immigrants were paid by private insurance, which was 47%; or by the immigrants and their families themselves, which was 45%. That only leaves 8% of the immigrants in the country that were paid for by the government. This Bill would also deny immigrants benefits under any means-tested programs funded by the federal government, or by state government, as well as being ineligible to receive grants, to receive Earned Income tax credits, to receive SSI benefits, Medicaid, Food Stamps, housing assistance, unemployment benefits, college financial aid, among others. Although, undocumented immigrants alone paid $7 billion per year in taxes. In 1990, undocumented immigrants paid $2.7 billion in Social Security, and $160 million in Unemployment Insurance; and this is according to a publication by the Urban Institute. (signal) I'm just going to do a quick story about a man that I know. He's 18 years old, and is from Sudan, and is now lost in the ``war zone'' of the American immigration system. He's actually living in Woodbury; he is apparently some kind of dangerous criminal because he came here with a false passport; so, now he's in jail, and the first time I met him I asked him, ``Well, how long will you be here?'' meaning, how long would he be staying with family that he was staying with. And he misinterpreted me to mean, ``How long will you be in the U.S.,'' and just said, ``immigration,'' and shrugged his shoulders. And that was probably the saddest thing I've ever seen in my life, was this man-just lost. Due to time restrictions, we are unable to address all the myths and . . . overstatements, but I can say that to blame immigrants is to scapegoat an easy, unpopular target, and to divert responsbility from more proper parties. Congressman Sanders: Thank you very much. Let me ask you a couple of questions: what does political asylum mean, and why is that important? Answer. Well, to me, it means someone who because of their benefits, because of their actions, needs to flee their home, needs to leave, whether it's because they were against their government in this country . . . like the [last] girl was saying, or the wrong color, in the wrong country; come to a place where they can be safe, where they can wake up in the morning and know that, ``okay, nobody's going to shoot me today.'' That's what asylum means. Congressman Sanders: Okay. Were you immigrants? Answer. Yes, my family was . . . [there's] a history of immigrants in my family. Answer. Being that we are white, I think we are all immigrants, in this country. Congressman Sanders: so, essentially what you're saying is that everybody other than the Native Americans are immigrants if we are in this country? Answer. That's true. Answer. That's correct. Congressman Sanders: Okay. Thank you very much--excellent presentation.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of my colleagues, I would like to have printed in the Record this statement by Amy DeCarmine, Amber Johnson, Beth Carmine, and Nathina Roy, high school students from Vermont, who were speaking at my recent town meeting on issues facing young people The Summer Youth Employment Program has kept us off the streets; kept us from the use of drugs, alcohol and violence of any type. The Youth Program has also given us the experience of how living can be in real life, and how to conserve money for our future. There can be nothing more positive in our lives than the Summer Youth Employment Program; it is a continuance of encouragement of being a responsible young adult. The Summer Youth Employment Program has been the cause of so many young people being employed, and in some cases it may help to slow down the cycle of the welfare generation. It gives us ideas, training for possible future employment, and it gives us a better idea of what we need to do to accomplish our future. Please help us to keep what has been proven to be a wonderful chance to understand what is expected from us as adults. It has given us a great source of self-pride in our abilities to contribute and know what this is--that this is a great start in life. And with your support in us, you have also given us hope that you believe in all of us. We need this opportunity to prove that we are serious about our future, and need your consideration to allow us this Program to continue. That's it. Congressman Sanders: Can you tell us what kind of work you did in the Summer Youth Employment Program? Answer: I've been on the Youth Program for two years now. And, the first year I worked at Project Independence, which is helping elderly people take care of themselves and entertain them. And last summer, I cleaned the elementary school of Williamstown to get [it] ready for school. Answer: I've only been in this for one year, which was last year, but I worked with Amber at the elementary school cleaning, and I thought it was a really great thing, because a lot of people that are inexperienced, like under 16, [employers] don't want to hire you * * * Answer: I worked at a hospital as a spot clerk in the basement, and I was in the program for one year. It was a very good skill because I'm going to be working at a hospital after I graduate. Congressman Sanders: So I think what you're seeing here is an example of a Federal program which meant a lot to you three, and to tens and tens of thousands of other young Americans. Answer: Yes. Congressman Sanders: There is a major debate taking place in Congress right now, as to whether this fund, with this program, should continue to be funded. I prefer, strongly, that it should; but we're fighting against people who prefer to put money into airplanes and bombers that the Pentagon doesn't need, rather than in programs like this. So, I thank you very much for personalizing one of the major debates taking place in Congress. Thank you.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of my colleagues I would like to have printed in the Record this statement by high school students from Peoples Academy in Vermont, who were speaking at my recent town meeting on issues facing young people: Kara: Being an American literature class, we have focused on writers throughout America's history, and we've focused on a lot of them. We've pulled some quotes, so as I go along, Ali's just going to say some of them. They include Krevocur's ``What Is an American'' (as Krevokur said, ``We are nothing but what we derive from the air we breathe, the climate we inhabit, and the nature of our employment'')-Jefferson's Declaration of Independence; Kerouac's ``On the Road'' as well as many other Beat writers; Maya Angelou's ``On the Pulse of Morning;'' Kingsolver's ``Animal Dreams,'' and many of her essays, short stories and poem; Robert Prescott Allen's ``Spirit in Nature'' (``People now consume, control or destroy almost 40% of the plant energy of the land, and 25% of all plant energy, the ultimate source of food for all animals, and almost all organisms.''); some of Thoreau's works and excerpts from them; Scott Russell Sander's ``Speaking the Word from Nature'' (``Where our theories of nature have become wiser, our experience of nature has become shallower.'') And due to this event, as well as our own interests, we have looked at many environmental pieces about the EPA, Earth Day and other similar activities; budget cuts and specific Acts. We've looked for connection to environmental issues; we haven't had to look very far. In a country founded by people who relied on the land, the environment plays a major role in our history and literature. It is up to us to make sure education about the environment gets out, and that's the only way we can insure that the environment will play a major role in the future. Okay, we made murals which are over there, on the wall. Feel free to go look at them. . . Yes, do go look at them; we worked hard. They're just pictures--one's a pool table and one's a tree--but we put all the quotes from our own work and from all the writers that we've read that pertain to protecting the environment and what we're doing to destroy it. And so, they're all there and please, do go look at them. As part of some of these writing assignments and readings, the environment has been a topic of concern. The new budget plans call for cuts in just about every area. The question becomes, ``how much are willing to sacrifice from each of these departments?'' Our world has been misused for so long now that it is costing immense sums of money to try to clean it up. Can we really afford not to clean the land up, though? We are causing the inevitable destruction of ourselves, by destroying the natural world. The Housing Appropriations Bill would cut EPA's funding by 34%, prohibiting funding for EPA's Wetlands, Sewer Overflow, Polluted Runoff and other programs. The bill also cuts the State's Revolving Fund by $365 million. The State Revolving Fund provides for loans to cities and counties for sewage treatment plants and other clean water facilities. This means that, without funding, communities and cities, like our own, would probably not receive assistance in addressing public health issues concerning clean water that we need. One of the most serious shortcomings recognized by the Administration are the threats to the Clean Water Act. By cutting the last $725 million in the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, the House eliminates the President's proposed $1.8 billion investment for safe drinking water. The proposed bill would sacrifice America's wetland resources by stopping the President's program that would prohibit the destruction of them. The new bill would support a multi-billion dollar fishing and shell-fishing industry (signal) within those wetlands instead. These cuts can hurt only us. When the Clean Water Act was established, there were many goals it had set to make on our lakes and rivers. . . . So far, we have yet to meet any of these goals. We are still trying to complete some of them were set to meet in the eighties. With these proposed budget cuts, the Clean Water Act will never comes to live up to its potential, and our lakes and rivers will never be as clean as was hoped. We are making great progress in this area, as well as others, but with these cuts in funding, we will have to put these programs on hold, while the pollution and contamination continues to occur. Without the funding, there will be no way to stop the destruction that we, as a nation, have put so much time and effort into. We implore you to consider these things when you throw anything away. Become inspired to write a letter or to do something good and right. Without the environment intact we are nothing, and as a Cree saying says, ``If you destroy the land, you destroy the animals; if you destroy the animals, you destroy the people.'' Thank you.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of my colleagues I would like to have printed in the Record this statement by Alison Carpenter, a high school student from Brattleboro, VT, who was speaking at my recent town meeting on issues facing young people. Children suffer at the hands of adults. They are beaten, kicked and burned with cigarettes. They are thrown against walls, scalded by hot water, forced to stand in freezing showers until they pass out, and thrown into running washing machines. They are sexual molested: they are the victims of incest. Child abuse is a serious issue that has existed throughout history, and it is a major concern in our society today. It was not until recently that it was recognized as a medical and social problem. Child abuse takes many forms: it occurs whenever an adult inflicts intentional physical, emotional or sexual harm to a child. There are many steps that are being taken to prevent all three forms of child abuse, but it will take a long time to fully eliminate it. The most common form of abuse on children is physical abuse. There are approximately 200 cases of physical abuse for every one that is reported, according to the National Committee for the Protection of Child Abuse. A child is the victim of physical violence even if the anger is not directly inflicted on him or her. A witness to violence is a victim of violence. Children who witness abuse at home can suffer in unseen ways. Quite often, their pain goes untreated; they can suffer serious emotional damage. Children need a large amount of emotional support from their families. Some elements of emotional support include: respecting the child's needs, tolerating his or her feelings, and a willingness to learn from their behavior. Our emotions are one of our basic powers. Emotional abuse is form of psychological battering. A child's earliest needs in life are for a warm, loving person to be there, to mirror, echo and affirm them. Children need to be prized, and applauded during their growth achievement. If they do not get this, they will do whatever they can in order to. These are basic needs. Children need to be allowed to feel, and to express what they feel. If a child is controlled compulsively, he or she will become an adult with a compulsive, controlling and immature childish side. Some forms of emotional abuse are yelling, belittling, criticizing, humiliating and comparing a child. Incest, or sexual abuse, is the most shaming of any form of violence, because it involves the betrayal of a supposed loved one. It leaves a long-term effect on the child, believing it was their fault. It is a violation of the child's sexuality. Some people believe that children may simply imagine episodes of sexual abuse. An argument that is made by psychologists, is that a young child who has not been molested, has not had the experience of with sex to be capable of imagining such an experience. The profile of an abuser tends to be very similar in all forms of child abuse. An abuser is usually someone who has a poor self-image; someone who lacks sensitivity to others' feelings. A person who abuses was most likely abused themselves, or was deprived of basic parenting. An abuser has usually had unmet needs for love or comfort, and is in denial about his or her feelings. Child abuse has a tremendous impact on victims throughout their entire lives. They tend to feel helpless and out of control. The victims tend to dissociate from all of their memories, and begin to feel a sense of unreality. They may have recurring nightmares, sleep disorders or flashbacks. As they get older, they tend to develop split or multiple personalities. They have little or no interest in anything, trouble completing thought processes, confusion, and no trust. A girl who has been abused sexually grows up to believe that she cannot escape being battered. A boy who has been abused may believe in male supremacy. Boy victims, more than girls, identify with the offenders, and sometimes become offenders. This bonding with abusers is a way to overcome the feeling of helplessness and powerlessness. There are many actions that are being taken against child abuse. Forty-nine States (except for Wyoming), have established children's trust funds. All of the States have a Child Protective Service system, which is a government system that is responsible for investigating reports of child abuse or neglect. This, however, lacks the resources needed to respond to overwhelming number of reports. All States also have a child abuse reporting law, requiring reports of suspected abuse to be made by specified professionals, or others whose work brings them in regular contact with children. There are also family preservation services, that are working to make it so the child can remain with his or her family as long as his safety is not endangered. Private organizations, such as Mothers Against Raping Children and Mothers of Sexually Abused Infants and Children serve as support groups, and fight for the rights of children. We Can Help Ourselves is another organization that teaches children how to handle abusive sitations. There are still many things that need to be done to help prevent the abuse of children. States need to provide even more services for victims of abuse. They need to look at the quality of foster care, because it needs to be more than just giving a child a place to live. People need to be more alert to possible child abuse cases, and to report them to the authorities. Those in a position of authority need to investigate quickly and accurately, and take the first steps to remove children from abusive situations. We need to bring offenders to court, and most of all, we need to stop abusing our children. Bringing a child into the world is a huge responsibility, that two people make and must live with forever. Parenting is not temporary; it is not something that can be put aside when a person wants a break. Child abuse is an awful cycle, which travels from generation to generation. As author John Bradshaw says, ``It is about the silence of nights spent holding in screams, holding back tears, holding in one's very self.'' One of the main causes of child abuse is the lack of education that this country has. There are so many people who do not know what is morally right from wrong. Children should be able to look up to their parents without fearing them. Our society as a whole needs to work together to stop child abuse. The first step in this long fight is to educate. Now is not the time to cut back on education services. One quote I believe summarizes the issue is, ``If a child live with criticism, he learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight. If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel ashamed.'' Thank you. Congressman Sanders: Thank you, Alison. Alison has touched on one of the most tragic issues that we as a country face, and that is that there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of little kids and teenagers who are being abused. And as Alison indicated, that type of abuse has a profound impact on one's ability to grow up to be a mature adult. Alison, let me just ask you a couple of questions. Why is it, do you think-- what goes through an adult's mind, a grown-up person's mind who would abuse a child. What motivates somebody to do that, do you think? Answer: I think that an abuser is one who has a lot of inside pain, and they don't know any other way of handling their pain, and they take it out on children, because children don't really fight back. Children, they're the only thing that they can take it out on, because they . . . don't have the ability to fight back. Congressman Sanders: I think . . . that's a very good answer. Let me ask you another question. Very specifically, and I know you touched on this a little bit, what can we do to ameliorate that problem? What do we as a community, as a society, as a country, how do we address that tragedy? Answer. I think that the most important thing is to educate, not only the abusers but the children of abusers, so that children know that this isn't right; that what they have been growing up in is not a good situation. Because, quite often children who are abused grow up to be abusers, because they don't know any better, and I think we need to educate them and show them that this isn't the way that our society should be. Congressman Sanders: Alison, thank you very much for that excellent testimony.